Cool technology and good coworkers. Company does show signs of progress with a planned move to potentially good space but as usual employees are being kept in the dark on move status.

Cons

Impossible to do a good job when even minor decisions are concentrated at the highest level. High tech companies need to be able to move quickly to repond to markets and new technology. That just doesn't happen here. Decisions that in a normal company would take a couple of months at most, instead take years--literally.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

You hired smart people who are willing to go above and beyond to make this company a success. Stop holding them back and let them do their jobs.

The team i worked for was one of the worst that exists in the company. Fresh grads are particularly tortured. Worked almost 12-123 hours a day, but management was never satisfied. Racist, and extremely abusive team members. No growth for employees. The team works on just one person's decision and has a hell lot of politics. I would never suggest anyone joining the team. You have to be a horrible person to work in this horrible team. I am glad i left. This is serious HELL

Advice to ManagementAdvice

HR needs to take action on a few people who has been sticking in the company for last 5-10 years. They play bad politics and they are extremely insecure of their own job and does not allow juniors or better employees to grow.

Not enough parking. Building infested with cockroaches. Equipment is old and there is a ridiculous system in place to buy something simple and basic like a new pipette. Multichannel pipettes are share 1 or 2 between 8-10 people. Building's heat/air-conditioning is all set to one lab, which has a lot of equipment that puts out a lot of heat. As a result that room is sweat box while every other room in the building is cold enough for employees to wear coat gloves...in July. There is not enough parking for employees.

Work wise - RA's are micromanaged to pieces and constantly criticized and chastised. RAs are supposed to report to scientists who guide decision making, yet RAs are ultimately helped responsible for all decisions made and then questioned on why decisions were made in data reviews. Turning to the scientist responsible for making said decision is not acceptable. Senior management is often involved in weekly/biweekely reviews and has constant input into project progression, but then blasts anyone presenting finalized data months later, making them look stupid in front of coworkers.

RAs were recently assigned levels 1-4. Instead of using those levels as things RAs should strive to hit, MSD is using job descriptions and level assignment to write RAs up, fire RAs and cause general unrest.

The head of life science research is completely disconnected from what actually goes on at the bench has no idea how to act in a professional manner towards the people who are doing the actual work and developing the products that are sold so he can zip around in his shiny new BMW.

The MSD "process" changes on an almost hourly basis with no communication between groups.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Stop micromanaging. Hire someone to be the in house head of LSR who doesn't talk down to the people who actually do all of the work that get products out the door and let the current one go travel and promote the company in the field. Morale is TERRIBLE right now and everyone (I mean EVERYONE) is leaving or applying elsewhere to get the heck out of dodge.

Stop playing favorites...it's super obvious.

Equip EVERYONE with laptops or at least intranet access at home. Allow/encourage people of all levels to work from home (even RAs have "paperwork" days).

Get rid if work Saturdays...seriously. Also - allow people toi transfer internally. Granted they may not have all of the shiny degrees or the MIT pedigree you want, but there isno substitute for instututional knowledge.